March 2015

March 31, 2015

This past spring break I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to go to Los Angeles for a week. This was the first year I have actually been able to take a vacation during spring break as I usually work during this time of year. For some reason I couldn’t justify spending an entire week in another state just for leisure but I found the perfect compromise: City Treks. City Treks is a two-day excursion where the Daniel’s College of Business organizes an opportunity for employers in various cities (New York, San Diego, Boston, Seattle and Chicago to name a few) to meet and network with both graduate and undergraduate students. This year was their inaugural City Trek to LA and I must say it was a blast. We visited several top-notch companies like Wells Fargo, Pacific Life, CBRE, Hulu, BenderSpink and NBC Universal that were mostly headquartered in LA or had a big presence there.

One of my favorite companies was Hulu because of their culture of innovation.

Me in front of Hulu’s “Huligan” portraits. Every employee is asked to bring something that represents themselves in a professional photograph. What an interesting company culture!

This was my favorite Huligan photo!

I must say that as a result I could see myself living and working in LA. Not to mention, we gained a lot of insight from those visits that I believe would help me successfully apply to their internships and/or jobs, along with other benefits like touring their facilities, understanding the company culture, networking with DU alumni and the time and space to meet experienced professionals in their respective fields. Although all this was jam packed into two long days, it was definitely worth it. My only regret is that I didn’t participate in all of them!

After City Treks I extended my trip so that I could explore LA some more and actually take a vacation. I had a great time experiencing all that LA had to offer. It was my first time in LA so everything was new and exciting. We tried all kinds of different restaurants, walked around Hollywood, went to the beach and I even tried In-N-Out for the first time. I was there with my best friends and had the time of my life. The best part of my entire trip was probably being able to reconnect with some old friends from LA.

Dani and I met when we were abroad in Madrid, Spain about a year ago! I am so happy that I got the chance to meet up with her in LA : )

The three of us meet my first year of college through the Excelling Leaders Institute. I am so fortunate to have met these girls in that program and I am glad we have stayed friends since.

Lastly, my trip would not have been complete if I didn’t go to the beach. It was incredible!

March 24, 2015

I have been with the University of Denver for nearly 15 years and I have never lived in Colorado. Isn’t that crazy? I am based near Chicago and work with all the Midwestern students who are considering DU. I have to admit, I am biased towards the Midwest. I have lived here all my life and even attended college here. Ahhh, but there is something magical about Colorado and Denver that is so unlike the Midwest. Obviously, there are the mountains.

Here is a photo I took in late February from my hotel window facing towards the southwestern view.

See that gold spire? That is the Ritchie Center on campus. Yes, those are the mountains in the background. Imagine waking up to that every morning. The sunny blue skies are amazing and there are at least 300 days of that every year in Denver. Sunglasses are a requirement. I forgot mine only once.

Weather can be fickle and I am still not sure if they really know what a snow plow is. The 1st one I saw in Denver was in my 7th year with DU. Snow does not typically stick in Denver. This has to do with the altitude. It is the “mile high city” and you find a lack of humidity causes a dryness in the air. No extremely bitter cold that sticks around for days as it does in other parts of the country and not so much of the thick humidity either. Believe it or not, but it is not uncommon to have 70 degree days in the winter months in Denver.

Let me share some more photos from my last visit; this all happened in a 72-hour time span.

Photo one: Tuesday - up and out the door by 7:45AM to head to campus for day one of our Regular Decision Debate (you can read more about Debate a few blogs back).

Photo three: Wednesday morning out the door at 7:45 AM for day two of Regular Decision Debate. Another sunny day!

Photo four: Thursday’s view looking to the northwest

What is amazing is that the snow is usually gone by noon or 1 PM the next day in Denver. People can be active in several outdoor activities all year round; like golf, ultimate frisbee, and tennis to name a few. Denver is one of the best places for young adults and several of our students will relocate to the area after graduation. Well, can you blame them? As for me, I get the best of both worlds. I am on campus 4 -5 times a year and get to experience one of the best kept secrets of the West, just when I need a break from the long drawn out winters of the Midwest. I cross my fingers and hope I get one of those 70 degree days during my December or February visits.

March 18, 2015

Students at the University of Denver are enjoying spring break this week. This is the perfect time for us to explore what this beautiful state has to offer. There are so many places to visit that its hard to choose where you should go for the short week off. My friends and I decided to spend a couple days in Glenwood Springs.

Since its only about a 2 ½ hour drive from Denver, we could have easily made Glenwood Springs a day trip, but we found a great deal on a local hotel and decided to spend a couple nights in town. The main attraction in Glenwood Springs is its hot springs. There is a huge soaking pool and a smaller and hotter “therapy” pool with 104 degree spring water. The springs were so relaxing! It was the first time in a while that any of us had the opportunity to sit around and do nothing for any period of time.

Soaking in the pools made us pretty hungry. Luckily, Glenwood Springs offered many restaurants for us to choose from. The first night, we enjoyed some delicious comfort food at Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company. The second night, we had a very fancy meal at Italian Underground. During the days, we could walk over a short footbridge to access all the cafes and restaurants on the other side of the highway.

The White River was across the street from our hotel. It gave us a nice opportunity to take a break from our… break! A couple freight trains went by while we were relaxing by the river. The water was cold and crisp. After a week of finals, relaxing by the river was the perfect place to spend an afternoon.

We capped off the vacation with a short hike up Grizzly Creek. While we didn’t hike the entire trail, we went far enough to appreciate its beauty and take a couple pictures. The hike was a great way to end the trip. In fact, the entire trip was a perfect way to finish off a busy quarter with difficult tests, work, and music performances. With the University of Denver so close to the mountains, these road trips are awesome ways for you and your friends to get away from the city to enjoy the outdoors!

March 10, 2015

I had the pleasure of taking in the sights and sounds of DU Men’s Lacrosse action Saturday afternoon. The games featured #3 Notre Dame visiting #4 DU at a sold-out Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. And, when I say sold out, I mean sold out. There was standing room only minimally available for anyone arriving on time or late to the stadium (like myself). The packed house and beautiful Colorado weather made for a perfect opportunity to catch a premier top five matchup.

As I walked up to the stadium, you could hear the chants from the crowd as the teams were introduced. There was a definite electricity in the air, and you just had the feeling that something special was about to occur. It didn’t appear that way from the opening faceoff. DU dug itself into a hole as Notre Dame jumped out to a 5-1 lead. It was not the start that everyone had hoped for in such an anticipated matchup. However, the Pioneers quickly climbed back into it. DU rallied to cut the deficit to 7-5 heading into the locker room at the half. A halftime note: If you are ever able to catch a game at Peter Barton Lacrosse stadium, order something off of the grill from the concession stand. Kudos to the grill master!

As the action picked back up in the second half, the teams went back and forth throughout the entire 3rd quarter. Entering the 4th quarter, DU trailed the Irish 10-7. Now begins the magic. DU went on a 4-0 run to close the game, completely shutting out Notre Dame from the 4th quarter on. In the final minutes, DU found the back of the net with the tying goal forcing the game into overtime. It didn’t take long in overtime for the Pioneers to strike first and win the game, 11-10, in walk off fashion. As the final goal hit the back of the net, the Pioneers stormed the field to celebrate with their teammates. It capped the perfect day to take in a lacrosse game! GO PIOS!

March 04, 2015

In the snow-covered world of College Admission at DU, the last four weeks have been a beautiful blur. Literally.

Our office received almost 15,000 applications for the Regular Decision round of admission and have admitted 5,300 prospective Pioneers to join our lovely DU community. Our counselors each reviewed hundreds of files with our northeast regional representative, Craig Dionne, topping the charts having read over 700 files for Regular and over 1600 for the year!

Once our review is complete, the staff settle into the Mary Reed building and lock ourselves in the DuPont Room preparing for war and negotiation….I mean, DEBATE.

DEBATE involves our stellar, competitive, knowledgeable and charismatic team slugging it out to determine those who are admitted, denied, and deferred. While local school districts and many offices were closed for a snow day, your DU counselors were up bright and early ready to discuss you, the applicants.

I admit we saw the good, the bad, and the downright pathetic. Throughout the process, our Admission staff advocated their hearts out on behalf of their students and attempted to make fair and consistent decisions considering all elements of a student file.

Our Debate lasted four days and involved a snapshot of the future DU student body. Our campus will no doubt be graced with exceptional scholars and leaders, talented writers, and diverse social justice advocates. The DU community looks forward to another incredible class as we welcome the 2015 admitted pool into the final round of decision-making before our May 1 deposit deadline. Future Pios, we look forward to hosting you on our campus over the next two months as you make your final college decision!